WVU Today

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Gordon Gee will remain president of West Virginia University through 2024 under a contract extension approved Friday (June 21) by the Board of Governors.

“Gordon is one of, if not the top, university leader in the country, and we are fortunate that he has agreed to remain at West Virginia University for an additional three years,” said Board Chair William Wilmoth, who also headed a state-mandated evaluation process launched in April.

Two West Virginia University alumni with successful careers in business and law have been elected to the WVU Foundation Board of Directors.

The Boards of Directors of Wheeling Hospital and the West Virginia University Health System (WVU Medicine) today (June 20) announced that they have entered into a management services agreement and named Douglass E. Harrison as Wheeling Hospital’s new chief executive officer.

West Virginia University alumni Curtis H. “Hank” Barnette and his wife, Joanne, have made a significant gift to upgrade the Barnette Board of Governors Room located on the second floor of the Erickson Alumni Center. 

The Barnette Board of Governors Room was established in 2011 after the Barnettes made a major gift to create a meeting room at the EAC for the WVU Board of Governors and others when not in use by the Board. 

An economic impact study released today (June 20) by the West Virginia University Bureau of Business and Economic Research concludes that even in years when The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve is not hosting a national Scout Jamboree, it pours $28 million into the economy, supports 280 jobs and generates almost $1 million in state and local tax revenue.

When the National Jamboree arrives every four years, those numbers grow to an impact of $76 million, 350 jobs and $1.2 million in tax revenue.

The economic impact of WVU athletics alone to the state of West Virginia is at least $302.7 million per year, according to third party research. Locally, the economic impact to Monongalia County is $78.8 million and the overall tax impact to the state of West Virginia is roughly $18.6 million.

Blenko Glass, a glassware manufacturer located in Milton, is continuing its tradition of providing West Virginia University with the latest piece from its West Virginia Birthday Blenko Glass Collection.

The donation has become an annual occurrence in conjunction the state’s birthday, June 20. Started in 1980, the collection commemorates West Virginia by making and selling the exact number of pieces as the state’s age each year. As 2019 marks the state’s 156th anniversary, Blenko has produced 156 original pieces.

The West Virginia University Athletics Communications Office was honored last week in Orlando, Florida, at the 2019 College Sports Information Directors of America Workshop, capturing 19 awards for Excellence in Publications and Digital Design, including 13 best in the nation awards

Improving the healthy lifestyle landscape in some West Virginia areas might sound like a tough task, but a group of passionate West Virginia University faculty and staff believe the secret lies in empowering communities and providing the support they need to take control of their own health.

Out of the 10 million acres of land damaged by extractive industries in Appalachia, about 500,000 lie in the borders of West Virginia. Rather than discarding the region’s history, West Virginia University researcher Zachary Freedman sees the future of that land remaining in the energy sector. 

But instead of removing something from the earth, he’ll put something back. 

Pediatric Urology at WVU Medicine Children’s has again been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report, this year coming in at 30th in the nation – a dozen spots up from last year’s ranking, which marked WVU Medicine Children’s first-ever appearance on the list.

New leadership in West Virginia University’s Center for Women’s and Gender Studies is expanding research and teaching initiatives surrounding gender diversity and social justice. 

Sharon Bird, professor and head of sociology at Oklahoma State University, has been named the Center’s director and a professor of women’s and gender studies. 

If the American Cancer Society’s projections prove accurate, more people will die from pancreatic cancer than from breast, brain, ovarian or prostate cancer this year. 

One reason pancreatic cancer is so lethal is its resistance to traditional chemotherapy. But West Virginia University surgical oncologist Brian Boone is exploring whether FOLFIRINOX—a new combination of cancer drugs—can improve outcomes in patients whose pancreatic cancer is “borderline resectable,” meaning that a tumor may be too close to a blood vessel to be removed safely. 

The West Virginia University School of Nursing today (June 13) announced that its baccalaureate degree, master’s degree, Doctor of Nursing Practice and post-graduate Advanced Practice Registered Nurse certificate programs have been granted accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education for another 10 years.

“To have our programs receive accreditation until 2029 is a testament to the outstanding work of our faculty, staff and students on all four of our School of Nursing campuses,” Tara Hulsey, vice president of Health Promotion and Wellness, WVU, and Dean of the School of Nursing, said. “Accreditation means our students in Beckley, Charleston, Keyser, Morgantown and online are receiving the best possible nursing education, by national standards, at WVU.”

The West Virginia University Upward Bound program announces its sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s federally funded Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) for its 2019 summer program. 

Upward Bound will receive reimbursement from the USDA for meals served to income-eligible students enrolled in the camp. Approximately 40 high school students will attend the summer program located on the WVU campus from June 10 through July 13. Students will eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Café Evansdale from Monday-Friday, with one Saturday food service (July 13) during the duration of the summer program. 

Sundus Lateef, a second year medical student in the WVU School of Medicine and Bridgeport native, was one of only 50 students selected from across the nation to participate in the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program.

Sue Day-Perroots is no stranger to West Virginia University and the State of West Virginia. After 34 years of service in key roles at the University, she retired as associate provost in 2017. When President Gordon Gee presented her with an opportunity to return “home” to lead WVU Extension Service, she jumped at the chance to bring her trademark energy, enthusiasm and focus on results to the role.

Day-Perroots, who was named interim dean for one year, effective May 15, will lead efforts to prioritize WVU Extension Service programs and strengthen WVU’s land-grant mission to the state. She will work with WVU Extension Service faculty and staff to ensure programs and outcomes align with the needs of communities in the state. She also will focus on strengthening relationships and partnerships with state and community leaders, corporate partners, constituents and national partners. 

The West Virginia University IDEA Hub has received national recognition for its comprehensive, University-wide efforts in entrepreneurship and innovation, an award for which it had been named a finalist in previous years.

Assistant Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Carrie White, WVU Morgantown LaunchLab Program Coordinator Sonja Jewell Kelley, WVU Tech LaunchLab Director Nora Myers, IDEA Faculty Fellow at Potomac State College Amy Weaver and West Virginia Community Business Center Director Danny Germain accepted the Entrepreneurial University Rising Star Award from the Deshpande Foundation at its national entrepreneurship symposium June 11. 

Pretty soon, Stansbury Hall will cease to exist. Interior demolition work has begun on the 90-year-old facility that was once the home of West Virginia University basketball from 1929-70. In its place will be Reynolds Hall, the new home of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics.

Inhaling dangerous particulates is a hazard of coal mining, mold remediation, sandblasting … and dentistry.

Fotinos Panagakos, associate dean of research at the West Virginia University School of Dentistry, is collaborating with a team at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to study how microscopic, airborne particulates and gases might be generated during dental procedures. NIOSH—a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—is funding the project.